The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-09-15
D|R .@HARRIS'S LETTER
, TIE cry AUTHORITIES

sfDs'i' ~ N!L TX ilfA - d'sfi u
Coneernin & tho Water supply and tho Health
Of wheeiing-An Unreliable aud Anony.
NOUS Report quoted as his Text.
= Ills rlnns for Improvement.
The communication presented to Coun.
ell by tho Health Committee Tuesday,
evening, aligned by Dr.. Harris. OF tho
State Board Of Health, was laid, aside
without action in the press Of other mat.
!ers From The report the following OF.
trlcts are made: 5GDyGgl35l
To HE Mayor and City Council, Wheeling: !.
GEsTLgNgS:-It was reported to the
State Board Of Health at its last meeting
In Cbarleslon that tho slckness and NOR.
tally Of Wheeling from typhoid fever Was
inoEdlna!ely great. The State Board
therefore passed the following resolution:
WHEREAS, Areport tha. isbelisyed to bs
OF Health Of Wea. Virginia that tho water
supply md general sanitary condition OF
tho Oily Of Wheeling is In a most repre-
heneible and alarming condition and
"WHRaEAs, The percentage OF aleknaac
and mortality from typhoid fever ia report.
Ell to be unequated In any city IN the
United States, and surpassed by but few
iCit,es in the world therefore, o&s
"Resolrfd, Thh. tho Secretary OF this
Board be directed to viait 90 soon as con.
venient the City Of Wheeling, and mako
or cause to be made thorough inveatiga-
ton OF the water supply and general sani-
tary conditions Of the city, and mako such
Recommendation to tho city authoritiea
rs tho exigenc;eH OF tho case seom TO do
mand, and also to report his action to this
Board" q Tg.,5 tf'rIf Ysfr,sfg ga rs
l therefore Waited Wheelingon the 18th
Of August and made ouch examination as
the time and Opportunity afforded, tho
main point being as to the possible and
probable cause Of the excessive mortality
from Typhoid fever as shown by the books
Of the Health ONCE Of tho city. $
II Is reported that the mortality from
this cause has bsen very great for mum.
boroi years past, and Is progressively in.
cIeaslas from year, to year. Now the
source Of the contagion ottyphoid fever is
generally admitted to be the water supply.
I found several sources which would
mako ouch contamination OF the water
kupply probable. III sij,-S5t 81 j,;
lst. The point Of intake Of the water is
far down in the city, at the point selected
many years ago when the city Was much
smaller than at present, there being now
a population of Goveral thousand people
residing above that point all OF whose
sewage smptieG into tho river above tho
pumping citation in this part OF the city
Sreto be found the City Hospital, several
factories, laundsies, horse and COW stables,
and The Cemetery with It's possible drain.
ago through Jonathan's run. q lT.I
cad. The drainsge from the town OF
Martins Ferry across the river ia, at low
water, DETECTED to this side by the dam
placed across the river between the Isl.
and and tho Ohio shore. These causes
would mako contamination Of the wstor
more than probable. .S2si. ~ 5
That tho water supply Of Wheeling Is
contaminated, I think, may DO taken for
granted. The sree. question is, what is to
DO done about It? Il should be prevent.
ed or remedied, but how? Several ways
suggest themselves. 3fsi
First and best-To carry tho point OF
intake above the point Of contamination.
Ihis is the moat natural and proper Way
to meet difficulty. The coat Of this is
urged as an objectiou-sau that bs weigh
ed IN the balance as against tho health
land lives yearly sacrificed to this Moloch /?
and once done there is an end to the cost.
Sccoud-To put an interCepting sewer;
this will only meet the difficulty in part,
4 SNeS ~ nj No. m So II,
comes from the other side Of the river.
Third--To attempt 10 purify the water
BY come nygtem OF filtration. II
this could be done it would involve a
nsver-endlng expense, and its results at
best would be doubtful, for as yet it haa
not been proven that any ayu!em Of fltra-
tion with which I am acquainted, 10 prac-
ticable on q large scale, which will re-
move the germs Of disease, and make an
unheslthy water healthy, though by re-
moving ulatter; held lin suspension, and
by decreasing it. the water may be much
improved IN appearance, tcato end Hmell,
Turnicg. from impure and unhealthy
water, Wish to say G word as to the CON
dltlon OF the air, especially as found along
WheslinS creek. The. efiluvia from the
rarious sources slo1g this stream are not
healthy and II not productive OF typhoid
fever are capable OF producing other
disease, or BY depressing the vital powers
will loosen their ability to resist the at
:acks Of disease not directly produced by
them. Il is now the gousfai belief Of the
medical profession that typhoid fever can
not originate without the presence of q
specific germ, and we find that the sani-
tary. relation Of typhoid fever is fifth. In
privles, In cess poole, in filthy drains, in
polluted air, earth and wator typhoid
fever tinda its peculiar culture grouuda.
There the germs gro and multiply ready
TO invade the sanctuary OF life at tho first
fitting opportunity. In cities where sani.
1aIion is enforced there will DO found the
minimum Of cases; where sanitation 10
neglected typhoid fever prevails. z5Ei5''
! must congratulate Wheeling on the
solution OF the yaxsd question, J"What
shall be done with the garbage" think
the crematory solved the question. Its
work is perfect, though tho present
nas!hed Of handling the material arc
crude and imperfect. i3 ls;} Z
In accordance with the resolution OF the
Board above quoted it has seemed proper
to mako these suggestions, which are
respectfully submitted to your conaidera.
ton with tho hope that your action in the
matter. may relieve your city from a large
smount OF stckneBs and mortality from
preventable disease, whose source, il not
in 9Th, 10 thereby reserved aud propagat-
cd. Very respectfully, t5as a,
81 We. T. A. HARaIS, III. o.
! 5!; Secretary Slate Board Of Hoaltb.
Parktrsburg, " Va., August 10, 1887.
CARPENTER-yAN BELT, Z r.
Happy Welding huils mt Bridgeport, last
NJ &S{i Evening. VS.